312 



NEW ENGLAND FAllMEU, 



lOHdiL^u^zin^assr:: 



May 15, 1829. 



of the vintage. Many, we know, would deprecate 

 Bucli a system, as tlie certain pioneer to universal 

 inteniperunce. But if we take tlic lialiits of those 

 countries as an example, in which the vine is at 

 this day, and has been, time innm'morial, cultivat- 

 ed to the greatest extent, and to the highest per- 

 fection, we shall lind no facts to warrant a fear of 

 that result. They are, as far as our information 

 exter)ds, the most temj)erate people on earth. In- 

 deed this fact is so well estahlislied, that the pro- 

 pagation of the vine has been very ahly advocated 

 by some philanthropists, for the express reason, 

 that it would present the surest, and in fact the 

 only hope, of banishing that monster of intenijie- 

 rance, the use of distilled spirits. — Calskill Re- 

 corder. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1829. 



INDIAN-CORN. 



Instead of the common mode of planting Indian 

 corn, if the land is in good tilth, and not encum- 

 bered with stones, or other obstacles, it may be 

 well to ]>lant Indian corn in drills. The rows 

 may be about 4 feet apart, and the corn about 

 five or six inches asunder. This method is re- 

 commended by Dr Deane, who observed " I have 

 ' found by experiment, that a greater quantify of 

 corn may be proihicerl in this method, than in 

 hills, and the labor is but little if at all increased. 

 In a small field, where the dimg had been everdy 

 spread, and ploughed in, I planted onf row thus, 

 the rest being in the common way ; and it yield- 

 ed at harvest, one-eighth part more corn by meas- 

 ure than either of the two nearest rows, the corn 

 being equally ripe and good." 



Other cultivators have succeeded by the same 

 mode of planting. Mr Stevens, of New York, 

 raised 118 bushels on an acre, flir Ludlow, of 

 the same State, 93, and Mr Hunnewell, of Mass. 

 Ill, in the drill method. Mr Stevens planted 

 double rows only 8 inches apart, and the seed in 

 rows also 8 inches asunder, but |)lanieil diagonal- 

 ly, so that no one stalk should be opposite to an- 

 other. The double rows were distant from each 

 others 1-2 feet. Mr Ludlow planted in single 

 rows, the grains at 8 inches apart in each row. — 

 Many similar instances of successful culture in the 

 drill method might be cited. 



If, however, tlie land be somewhat rough, and 

 for that, or any other reason it is determined to 

 plant in hills, it will be expedient, in placing the 

 kernels to take care that each is left at lour or five 

 inches from the other, lest the plants interfere 

 with and rob each other. Dr Deane directed to 

 let the gronnil be cut into exact scjnares by shoal 

 furrows made with a horse j.'Iongh, from three to 

 four feet apart, aci-ording to the largeness or 

 BSiallness of the kind Ki be [)lanted,and to put five 

 corns in the i>laces where the furrows cross each 

 other. In the Southern States thp corn is gener- 

 ally planted at tlie distance of seven, or seven and 

 an half feet from hill to hill in every direction, 

 when four or five stalks are suffered to srow in 

 each hill ; or four feet apart, when two staiks only 

 are permitted to stand in each hill. But, it is well 

 knov^fn that the Southern corn is larger, and con- 

 sequently requires more room than any kind which 

 is commonly cultivated in New Kngland. 



Mr Buel, of Albany, observed that " a gentle- 

 man in Madison county, who is said to have rais- 

 ed the greatest crop of corn ever grown in this 



State, ascribes his success principally to the cir- 

 cumstance of his having ])ut four bushels of seed 

 on an acre, instead of six <|uarls, the u.-ual quanti- 

 ty ; and jiulling up all but the requisite number of 

 most thrifty plants at the first dressing of the crop; 

 and that no slalk produced less than three ears. — 

 I do not know that the facts have been correctly 

 stated to me; hut I confess they ap|iear to be ra- 

 tional. We scarcely ever notice a hill of corn, 

 v/iihout observing a spear more vigorous than the 

 rest, which maintains its ascendency, and is al- 

 ways more prolific in its return. ' On the contrary 

 those plants wliijh are pale and sickly when 

 young, seldom proiluce much under the best care. 

 My experience warrants me in the belief, tb.at 

 seed taken from a stock, which has produced two 

 or three eais is more prolific than seed from a 

 stock, which has produced but one ear.* We 

 doubt, however, whether it will often be thought 

 expedient to plant seed corn with quite so nuich 

 profusion, though we believe it might not be annss 

 to ]ilant about 7 or 8 kernels in a hill, at proper 

 distances, and at weeding, pull out the smallest 

 plants, leaving but four or five in a hill. 



Dr Deane directed to shell seed corn gently by 

 hand, that it may not be torn or hiuised, rejecting 

 about an iu<:h at each end of the ear. And if any 

 corns ap))ear with black eyes, let them also be re- 

 jected, " not because they will not grow at all for 

 the contrary is true ; but because the blackness in- 

 ilicates either some defect in drying, or want of 

 perfection in the grain." It has, however, been 

 advised by later cultivators to select seed exclu- 

 sively from the largest end of tlie ear. " The 

 nearer the seed is taken from the butt-end," (say 

 some experimentalisis,) the larger will be the 

 cars." This is a subject which appears to us de- 

 serving of attention and further experiments. 



FINE SHEEP. 



We have seen exhibited for sale in Boston mar- 

 ket, the carcase of a sheep, which for its size, and 

 the apparent quality of the flesh, deserves particu- 

 lar notice. This sheep, raised by Ctd Jaques, of 

 ChaVlestown, Jlass, was, we are informed, mostly 

 Dishley, or Bakewell, but part Lincolnshire, and 

 partly of the common breed of this country. It 

 was four years old, fattened by Mr Thomas Wil- 

 liams, on Noddle's Island, and weighed when 

 alive 218 llis. The carcase weighed 123 lbs. and 

 sold for §21,56. 



An English writer observes of the breed of 

 sheep from which the above mentioned animal 

 was principally derived, that " Mr Bakewell select- 

 ed from his own flock, and liom the flocks of oth- 

 ers those slice]) to breed from, which possessed in 

 tlie greatest degree that jicrfoction of form he 

 was desirous to i-etain and perpetuate. Byju- 

 (liciously crossing them, and selecting the most 

 ]ierfuct of their progeny, he at length succeeded in 

 forming the breed, which has been distinguished 

 ly the name of the New Leicester, or Dishley 

 breed ; and having attained his object, he careful- 

 ly guarded against future intermixtures with other 

 breeds. This breed exceeds all others in its pro- 

 ))ensity to fatten ; and by crossing by rams with 

 this breed a very considerable portion of the long 

 woolled sheep in England have been greatly im- 

 proved in this respect." — Luccock on Wool. 



The following article has appeared in several 

 newsjia^jeis, and erroneously attributed to the 

 " Fanner's Almanack.'" It was written for " The 



* N. E. Farmer, vol, iii. p. 21. 



New Enuland Farmer's Almanack," by the 

 Editor of the New England Farmer. It should, 

 ill its republications, have been introduced with 

 the following title, to wit : 



From the JVeiv England Farmer's Jilmanack. 



The avocations of the husbaiulman are now be- 

 coming niultifarioiis, and he must attend to every- 

 thing or something will suffer. Soak seed corn 

 in copperas water, according to advice given in 

 our last year's calendar. Good fruit is raised as 

 easily, and is often worth five times as much as 

 bad ; you will therefore graft such trees as bear 

 fruit which is worth but little for cider and less 

 for the table. " Graft always as high as possible, 

 to guard against cattle, and to raise the head of 

 yoiH' tree, so as to admit tlie sun and air as freely 

 as possible upon your under growth, whatever it 

 iiKiy he ; it will also improve your fruit, both in 

 sizi! and quantity." Do not undertake to graft too 

 many limbs at a time, lest you kill the tree, des- 

 troying the requisite pro))Ortion between the roots 

 and the top. Now is the time, with your wife's 

 leave and co-operation, to grow rich by your dairy. 

 Where high flavored milk and butter are prefer- 

 red to quantity, then pasturage on dry bottomed 

 uplands is to be preferred ; but where flavor and 

 rithness are the objects, soiling with clover, lu- 

 cerne, &c. and two or three hours pasturage each 

 day, for the sake of exercise, is the [ireferable sys- 

 tem, where the labor can be spared. It is said by 

 some foreign writers, in substance, that a field of 

 mowing ground, in good heart, mown, and the 

 grass eaten green, will produce treble the quanti- 

 ty of milk it would have done if pastured, and 

 four times as nuich as it would do in the form of 

 dry hay. 



TANSY PUDDING. 



A lady in Roxbury has sent us the following 

 recipe for an edible article which ought to be as 

 indispensable to the table of the New England 

 yeoman, as it was to the board of his ancestors, 

 when " They deemed it sabbath-breaking to dine 

 without a PUDDING." 



Take four eggs, twelve ounces of flour, one 

 quart of milk, and half a tea spoonful of salt — 

 stir the flour gradually into the milk, carefully dis- 

 solving all the lumps. Beat the eggs very light, 

 and add them by degrees to the milk and flour. — 

 Add a large handful of tansy, finely chopped. Put 

 in the salt and stir the whole well together. 



Take a very thick pudding cloth, dip it in boil- 

 ing water and flour it. Pour into it the mixture, 

 and tie it up, leaving it room to swell. Boil it 

 hard, one hour, and keep it in the pot, till it is 

 time to send it to the table. Serve it up with 

 sauce. 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SO- 

 CIETY. 



At a meeting of this Society on the 12th inst. 

 for the admission of members, and to hear the 

 Reports of the Standing Committees on the Pro- 

 ducts of the Kitchen Garden, and on Ornamental 

 Flowers and Green House Plants, the following 

 donations were received, and distributed among 

 the members. 



From N. G. Carnes. Esq. of New York, seeds 

 of the Green Globe Artichoke, from France, a 

 fine variety for the table. 



From Capt. M. C. Perry, of the U. S. Navy — 

 seeds of the fine Cassabar melon, brought by him 



